Supreme Court proposes appointing former SC judge to enquire into Hyderabad encounter

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it was considering to appoint a former apex court judge to enquire into the encounter killings of four accused persons in the gangrape-and-murder case of a veterinarian in Telangana. "We are conscious of the fact that the Telangana High Court had taken note of it," a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde said, adding that the top court only wanted that a Delhi-based former apex court judge should enquire into the case.

A former SC judge to inquire into Hyderabad encounter case

"We propose to appoint a former Supreme Court judge to inquire into it," the bench, also comprising Justice S A Nazeer and Justice Sanjeev Khanna, said. It clarified that the former apex court judge, who would enquire into the incident, would sit in Delhi. The bench has now posted the PILs, seeking an independent SIT probe into the encounter, for hearing on Thursday. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and advocate Krishnakumar Singh, appearing for the Telangana government, said it had followed the directions laid down by the apex court for an enquiry into encounters and had already referred the case to the state CID. 

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The Telangana Police on Tuesday submitted its report to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the killing of all four accused in the gang-rape and murder of a veterinarian on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Officers of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate submitted all details to the NHRC team, which is probing the December 6 'encounter', in which the police gunned down all the four accused at Chatanpally near Shadnagar town.

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The bodies of the four accused in the veterinarian rape and murder case were shifted to Gandhi Hospital from Mahabubnagar Government Medical College on Tuesday after the Telangana High Court ordered to preserve their bodies till December 13. The Supreme Court will be hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking a probe into the encounter of four accused in rape and murder of the Hyderabad vet on December 11.

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(With agency inputs)